Muscle pain

Muscle pain is a symptom which may arise as a result of a number of health conditions

What is muscle pain?

Muscle pain is a general term referring to a symptom or symptoms which arise as a result of a wide number of health conditions. Pain may be present in one specific area of a muscle such as when a muscle strain occurs, or be more widespread during viral infections such as the flu.

Doctors refer to muscle pain as myalgia and this gives the root word to the terms such as fibromyalgia (pain in the muscles and soft tissues of the body) as well as polymyalgia rheumatica, a condition giving rise to pain in the head and related to an autoimmune condition.

Causes of muscle pain

The most common causes of muscle pain are generally acute or happen suddenly:

Injury or trauma to a muscle – sometimes associated with a joint sprain

Overuse of a muscle – this is seen when one makes an impromptu and over-enthusiastic visit to the gym

Repetitive strain injuries are related to overuse of a joint, but the muscles surrounding the joint may also be involved

If you are taking prescribed medication, check with your doctor that this is not one of the side effects of your medication

Muscle pain may arise from a very wide number of conditions. The lists of causes and possible treatments provided in sections 2 and 3 above only refer to commonly encountered health conditions and are not exhaustive. If you do not have specific cause for your muscle pain, or if it does not resolve within 7 days, or if it is accompanied by more severe symptoms such as pain in other parts of the body, fever or a general feeling of being unwell, you should seek medical help immediately.